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State Auditor Diana DiZoglio on growing up housing‑insecure, Wellesley scholarship and why she stays in the job
Summary
On Curious Awakenings, DiZoglio described growing up with housing insecurity, attending Middlesex Community College and Wellesley College on scholarship, her coping practices (ice baths, hiking, spiritual practice) and why she intends to run for reelection to continue transparency work.
Diana DiZoglio told hosts Emily and Rama that her upbringing—born to a 17‑year‑old single mother and sometimes housing insecure—shaped her drive to pursue public service and to make government work better for people like her.
"I remember who I am. And who I am is a kid from [a small town] who loves her community, who wants to help people," DiZoglio said, recounting that she attended Middlesex Community College and, encouraged by a professor, applied to and received a full need‑based scholarship to Wellesley College, becoming the first in her family to graduate with a four‑year degree.
She spoke candidly about the personal costs of public life and the practices that help her cope. "I hike in the woods by myself... I do ice baths," she said, noting those routines help her stay "centered" and able to continue work that can be contentious. DiZoglio said she sometimes contemplates stepping down but is running for reelection because she believes she can still help people in the auditor role.
Why it matters: DiZoglio’s personal story provides context for her advocacy on transparency and accountability; she framed her policy priorities as rooted in lived experience and a desire to protect taxpayer resources and public trust.
The interview closes with DiZoglio urging listeners to engage and to tell her office what they think, and with a reminder to "feel the fear and do it anyway," a phrase she cited as motivational.
